Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Established

Monday, January 3, 2011 2:00 AM

GARDNERS, PA. (January 3, 2011) - A hall of fame is being established by the Appalachian Trail Museum Society to recognize those who have made a significant contribution toward establishing and maintaining the 2,181 mile footpath that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia.

"The Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame is a natural fit with the museum that opened last June," said Larry Luxenberg, president of the Appalachian Trail Museum Society. "The trail and the museum represent the collective efforts of volunteers who have made countless contributions in ways that are as varied as the personalities who have been involved. The hall of fame will recognize those people who have unselfishly devoted their time, energy and resources toward making the Appalachian Trail a national treasure."

With the announcement, the Appalachian Trail Museum Society released the following details about the nomination criteria and nominating and selection processes:

Criteria - Those eligible for consideration include anyone who has made a major contribution to the Appalachian Trail, or otherwise has advanced the cause of the Appalachian Trail. These include, without limitation, pioneers who conceived of and developed the trail; those who organized or directed major trail organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs; longtime trail maintainers; leaders who promoted and protected the Appalachian Trail; hikers who have made significant accomplishments, and other persons who have enriched the culture or community of the Appalachian Trail by their association with it.

Nominations - Nominations will be solicited from throughout the hiking and trails community, by using a unique internet survey address. The address is:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/63PYPCT

Deadline for nominations - March 20, 2011. The survey address is open to accept nominations through March 31, 2011. Anyone may submit a nomination, without charge, regardless of whether he or she is a member of a hiking or trails organization. Only one nomination should be submitted per year per person . The survey site will ask a nominator to justify his or her nomination in a brief statement not exceeding 200 words that describes the nominee and why he or she fits the criteria.

Hall of Fame Committee; Election - An Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Committee has been selected by the Appalachian Trail Museum Society Board of Directors to supervise the election process and to submit the finalists to the board. That committee is chaired by Jim Foster, a museum volunteer and 2007 thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail. Other members of the committee are Noel DeCavalcante, Tom Johnson, Larry Luxenberg, Laurie Potteiger and J.R. Tate. The Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Committee will deliver the slate of finalists to the museum board by April 30, 2011, for subsequent review and elections. For the first three years, founding classes to the Appalachian Trail Museum will be named. These initial classes will emphasize important historical figures who were critical to the creation and development of the trail. The Appalachian Trail Museum Society Board can elect up to six people in the first year, and up to three each in the second and third years. After the third year, only a single person may be elected each year.

Announcement and recognition of inductees - Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees will be announced during the Appalachian Trail Museum's annual festival, scheduled for the third weekend in June. The inductees will be enshrined on an Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Wall of Honor to be located in the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Located in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and at the midway point of the Appalachian Trail, the museum is across from the Pine Grove General Store on Pennsylvania Route 233. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. in the spring and fall.

About the Appalachian Trail Museum Society

The Appalachian Trail Museum Society, a 501-C-3 not-for-profit organization formed in 2002, organizes programs, exhibits, volunteers and fundraising nationwide for the Appalachian Trail Museum. The museum opened on June 5, 2010, as a tribute to the thousands of men, women and families who have hiked and maintained the 2,181 mile long hiking trail that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. Located in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, Pennsylvania, the museum is conveniently near Carlisle, Gettysburg and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Additional information is available at www.atmuseum.org.